Prospective Graduate Students
Thank you for your interest in graduate study at Rice! This page brings together information about the program and resources to help you prepare an application.
You do not need to contact me or obtain my endorsement before applying. All admissions decisions are made by the department’s admissions committee, so contacting me individually will not improve your chances of admission. Your application is the place to describe your research interests and identify faculty you would be interested in working with.
My research focuses on political methodology, measurement, causal inference, and partisan polarization. If these topics interest you, my publications and working papers provide an introduction to my work.
Applying to Rice
Apply through Rice University’s Department of Political Science. The department’s admissions page provides application instructions and information about upcoming admissions events. Consult the official department pages for deadlines and requirements for your application cycle.
As explained in Rice’s application FAQs, an admissions committee evaluates applications; you do not need to obtain a faculty member’s agreement to advise you before applying. Students have opportunities to work with multiple faculty members before selecting a dissertation advisor.
Getting to Know the Program
Explore the department and the university through these resources:
- Political Science admissions and information sessions, including virtual coffee hours when available.
- Answers to common application questions, including funding and application materials.
- Request information from Rice Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Preparing an Application
The following resources offer perspectives on applying to PhD programs and writing a statement of purpose. Read them alongside Rice’s own application instructions.
- Chris Blattman: FAQs on PhD applications.
- Joshua Kertzer: resources for prospective graduate students.
- Chris Blattman: writing your statement of purpose.
- Yuhua Wang: writing a statement of purpose (PDF).
This page’s organization and selection of application resources were inspired by Kaitlyn Robinson’s guide for prospective graduate students. Credit and thanks to her for assembling that guide.